Nongre Crafts And Culture Foundation

Who we are
We are a community based social business enterprise and a charity foundation established in Ghana. We are based in northern Ghana and our town is Bolgatanga, located in the upper east region, near the Sahara country of Burkina Faso

The significants of this program come at a time the world, particular Africa is having to face severe poverty and the lack of hope for many youth that have been left vulnerable to many social vices.With the many potentials in arts and crafts, our foundation has seen the need to involve youth(particularly young girls), individual(s) and organizations in this vibrant economic field with the many handmade products from the rural youth and women.

Basically, we're having to face issues of unemployment, high illiteracy, gender inequality and poor educational systems.Over the years, there have been a number of interventions among these were, introducing a number of the youth into professional tour-guiding within the region, the setting up of a arts and crafts gallery shops, a community center, sponsorship of two youth to further their education in tourism, indulging the youth in technical job e.g Carpentering, electrical engineering, Building construction , youth/women groups(Shea Butter oil production and straw baskets weavers) and more significantly Arts and crafts(Straw basket weaving, bead works, fabrics-Tye/dye production).

Our program is that of a social enterprise. therefore, we appreciate a volunteer that has the expertise to support grow the various economic initiatives we have designed.Volunteer(s) shall work with team of young vibrant youth from the foundation with other from the community that are enlighten and experienced about their surroundings.

We expect a significant support and mutual partnership between volunteers, the foundation and community so at the end of the program our mission and vision is attained. Volunteer(s) will not need special equipment.

The volunteer should expect to work with youth with diverse talents and potentials.These are potentials worth economic value hence very lucrative avenues that serve as a long term sustainable livelihood. What our foundation expect from volunteers are they should employ useful solutions to a social enterprise like Nongre Crafts And Culture Foundation. Technical know-how or practical solutions should be impacted on the youth to help them imbibe knowledge that will in the long run help them development their society.

There are various roles to be held by volunteer but basically they will teach(Arts and Crafts) in our community school that most of the kids attend. After schooling hours, volunteers will continue work at the foundation center where they shall be task with finding marketable solutions to help promote various artifacts or products from the foundation youth(mostly baskets weavers, beads works, fabric shoes/bags, Shea butter oil production, Youth In Tourism and artifacts).

The Location

Volunteers will work in a very friendly, hospital and open surrounding that will accommodate them and make it easy to communicate and be protected. They shall work in a community center close to their place of living(its about a minute or two and a biking distance of 10-15 minutes to the central town).

Typical day

Activities varies from day-to-day.

They include:

Teaching at community Primary schoolSpend time at the community centerIndulge youth in various handwork'sOffer administrative support to TeamLobby for organizational supportSource reliable ready market for youth productsLearn to make various handy works and artsTake part in weekends drumming/dancing

Free-time activitiesHiking on our beautiful land of piled rocks and hills .Spend time sporting or biking around town.Private time at residence.Visit to tourist sites.Enjoy weekends drumming and dancing.

Learn to weave Straw baskets, Bead work etc

When: We welcome Volunteers all year round.

Minimum Stay: 4 weeks

We Provide

Accommodation

Meals

ServicesWhat's included?Workshops - As part of the volunteer program, workshops will be organized on various managerial programs to enable volunteers and youth have a deeper knowledge sharing encounter. For this to happen, facilities such Venues, resource person, food and drinks, writings materials etc must be providedForumsTraining programs - This entails an in-depth educational training program that is aimed at vocationally empowering youth in arts and crafts.Charity workFoods/DrinkAccommodationTourThe volunteer(s) will be given a detailed touring of our region and the country.Opportunity to see various interesting historical sites is a package to give volunteer an unforgettable experience.Transportation within community and townshipMotorbikeBicycleTaxi Internet billsAvailable internet connectivity depends on the mobile service packages therefore cost variesElectricityElectricity is supplied base on prepaid meter charges

What's NOT included?Visa, flights, travel insurance or vaccinations are NOT included in the program fees.

No worries, Volunteer World supports you in raising funds, checking your visa regulations and travel insurance. We also assist you in finding the cheapest flights for your journey.Airport PickupFrom Airport to Guest House From Guest House to the Bus Terminal From Bus terminal to Bolgatanga

AccommodationSingle room with a bath/toilet and a kitchen with a porch.

Electricity and Boreholes water available .

Volunteer(s) can live with a host family (Optional).

Food & BeveragesThe basis of many Ghanaian dishes is something that looks like a thick porridge or puree. Certain foods that make up the Ghanaian diet vary according to which region of the country people live in. In the north, millet (a type of grain), yams, and corn are eaten most frequently, while the south and west enjoy plantains (similar to bananas), cassava, and cocoyam (a root vegetable).

Fufu is the best known and the most popular type of puree in the south and tuo-zafi mostly popular in the north. Fufu is made from a mix of cooked cassava and plantain, mashing the fufu is an extravagant ritual and hard work. Tuo-zafi is made out of millet flour. Other well known types of puree are kenkey and banku. The later is made from corn. Even rice is something turned into a kind of puree called omo tuo; this dish is considered to be a delicacy. When it comes to soup, foreigners will favour groundnut soup. Other popular dishes are red-red, which is fired plantain with beans, jollof rice (a kind of risotto), and grilled tilapia, a freshwater fish that shouldn’t be overlooked. All of these dishes are usually available in many chop bars (simple Ghanaian eating establishment).

These staple foods are accompanied by thick, well-seasoned stews. Stews come in a variety of flavours, the most popular being okra, fish, bean leaf (or other greens), forowe (a fishy tomato stew), palava sauce (spinach stew with either fish or chicken), and groundnut (peanut), one of the country’s national dishes. The local dishes are eaten without cutlery but with the hand. Food is eaten with the RIGHT hand. There are a number of different types of puree, each with its own name.

In Ghana, food and drink are offered for sale on the street, like roast goats meat, pieces of cleaned sugarcane, roast cobs of corn, coconut, bags and bottles of iced mineral water, oranges and plantain chips. The Ghanaian drink in a spot, an open air bars, usually walled by brightly colored boards. All well-known soft drinks like Fanta, Sprite and Coca Cola are readily available, as are the local beers such as Star, Club, Stone, Castle, milk stout and Guinness. If you want something extra strong, you should try locally prepared drinks, akpeteshie, (local dry gin), distilled palm wine (a real delicacy that’s best when drunk fresh) and pito. The drink favored at local ceremonies and presented to chiefs is schnapps.

SAFETY NOTE: Stay healthy by drinking bottled water or sachets, rather than tap water, and avoiding ice in drinks unless the source is known to be safe water. Bottled water for drinking is readily available throughout Ghana and is recommended. Fresh fruit is readily available. Food that is well cooked and kept hot is safest.

Internet AccessGood access at the project site

Volunteer Costs

Program FeesWhat's my money used for?

Costs (Prices in USD)4 weeks (min. stay)$500.00

8 weeks$971.00

16 weeks$1,739.00

50 weeks (max. stay)$5,000.00

You can volunteer at the project site in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region/Ghana between 4 weeks and 50 weeks. Please note that the above shown program fees are estimated and subject to exchange rate fluctuations. Nongre C C Foundation will tell you your final price during your application process.Average Fees$113/weekDeposit (15%)The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.Final Payment (85%)Your final payment will be agreed with Nongre C C Foundation during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

The establishment of Nongre craft and culture came about after the realization that many northern Ghanaian school children after being enrolled in school dropout because their parents are not able to fund for their educational needs. Most of the areas affected are poverty stricken and deprived basket weaving communities in northern Ghana, whose main source of livelihood is farming. They engage in basket weaving during the dry season, which is a source of income generation and a way of keeping a subsistence livelihood.

The overall aim for this foundation is to bring about development and positive social change to the people and the communities where we operate.e.g. Basket weaving communities, etc. We understand that, in the area of human development for rural communities in sub-Sahara Africa, we trust that the focus areas should be placed on education, cultural awareness, climate compensation, social innovation, women and youth empowerment through self-create initiatives, which are all paramount to achieving some of the developmental goals in rural Africa.

Nongre Foundation at the center of Education

Welcome to Nongre Crafts and Culture Charity Foundation, a center for poverty reduction, youth empowerment and a center where simple and practical alternative livelihoods as well as sustainable development initiatives are taught to the youth. Our foundation aims to provide access to educational materials and sponsorship for children in the upper east region of Ghana, especially those youths whose parents are not able to provide for their educational needs.

Education play a major role in developing a society. Education is often understood as a means of overcoming handicaps, achieving greater equality and acquiring wealth and status for all. Hence, education is also often perceived as a place where children can develop according to their unique needs and potentials, with the purpose of developing every individual to their full potential. For this reason,we find Vocational education a subtle sector that will possibly empower technically and economically. Identifying the potentials of our youths and women in diverse avenues of income generation prompted our efforts towards this initiative.

Nongre Vocational Training and Youth empowerment CenterThis is a livelihood sustainability initiative directed towards harnessing the untapped abilities of youths and women in various vocational programs.

Among these programs include:

Youths(Partiularly teenage mothers) Fabric(Tye&Dye) WorksYouths/Women in Straw baskets weavingYouth/women in Shea Butter oil production.There are other subtle activities coupled with the training center that stand to impact the lives of our communities. Among them are:

Scholarships aimed at needy but brilliant Pupils.Provision of various learning materials for pupils.We vision the provision of infrastruture such as, Libraries, computer laboritory.Cooperate partnership with individuals(volunteers), stakeholders, NGOs that share a common vision.Lean morehttp://nongre-craftsandculture.org/%20Aid%20and%20Social%20projects.html

We are grateful to interested persons and philanthropist to join us and come to our aid with more educational materials or clothing, footwear and more. It will enable us to continue to help these children.